The Other Freak Show
by FoxInBox aka FIB
Summary: When Darren gets curious about what other shows are like, he finds himself facing the terror of the Dark Woods Circus


When he had first arrived at the _Cirque Du Freak, _Darren had been apprehensive, worried that the freak show would be like the ones he had heard about; the actors kept in cages and mistreated. After just a short while with them, though, Darren had come to realize that the _Cirque _was nothing like he had heard. The people were not mistreated or locked up (except for the Wolf man, but he was a different case), and everyone was free to come and go as they pleased. He had made friends there, and had learned to really like the life of a traveling entertainer, even if he did miss his true family. When he learned that there were other freak shows, Darren was curious.

"Evra, what do you know about the other freak shows?" he asked one day, letting his curiosity finally get the better of him.

The snake boy's eyes narrowed a little at the question. "Not all that much. I traveled with one for a while when I was really little. It was awful, but then Mr. Tall found me and brought me here. It's much better than the other place." He said quietly.

Darren nodded, but his curiosity wasn't sated. When he had worked up the gull to ask Mr. Crepsley about it, the vampire had simply replied that the _Cirque _was the best place to be. He said that it was highly probable that they would come across another Freak show at some time, and for Darren to be cautious when they did. Darren had nodded obediently, but somehow doubted that he would be as 'cautious' as his mentor had instructed.

Time passed slowly, yet at the same time it seemed to fly by in the blink of an eye. Before he knew it, Darren was practically already a member of the _Cirque Du Freak. _He had his own duties and even took part in the shows, and he and Evra had become fast friends.

"The _Cirque _is moving to a new location, Darren." Mr. Crepsley told me one night. "Be sure to pack your things." I just nodded silently, already used to it. With that, we headed out into the darkness to feed.

The next morning, while Crepsley was asleep in his coffin, the rest of us set to work packing up camp and moving out. Soon enough, before the sun was even fully risen, we were on our way to the next location. After a few days of restless travel, we had arrived on the outskirts of a large town. Bordering the town was a large and dense forest. I grinned a little at that; it would be a lot easier to find food for the little people and to hunt (without getting noticed by people) in a forest like that. Speaking of which….

"Evra! The Little People haven't been fed yet." I yelled as I barged into our newly set up tent. Evra looked over at me from his corner of the tent, eyes glinting dangerously. I knew that look…. Slowly, I backed up from the tent. "N-never mind. I'll do it myself, so you just…um, stay here." I said quickly before dashing out. I sighed a little. It was _that _time again. Yep, you've got it; Evra was shedding again. He always got irritable when it was happening, and I had learned my lesson before about bothering him when he was in a foul mood. I shuddered as I thought about my experience. I had somehow ended up with all the chores, a snake down my pants, and no place to sleep except for in Crepsley's creepy tent. I did _not _want to deal with _that _again. I headed to the forest to set up the traps and to scavenge around for a few easy catches.

When I entered the forest, for some strange reason a sudden chill made its way up my spine and goosebumps danced across my flesh. There was something _off _about this place. Every instinct in my body was telling me to turn back, but I did my best to ignore them. Even so, I rushed through my chores, setting out the various traps for small animals and scanning the immediate area for a good place to find something for Crepsley and myself.

I was just about to leave the forest and run back to the familiar safety of the _Cirque_ as fast as my legs could carry me when I felt a small tug on the back of my shirt. I let a tiny yelp escape my lips and whirled around. Imagine my surprise (and embarrassment) when I found not some terrible, foreboding monster, but instead a tiny little girl in a pink dress. I blushed a little at my previous reaction.

"Hello." I greeted her. The little girl smiled up at me, and then beckoned for me to come down closer to her level. Looking around myself in search of this kid's parents or something, I kneeled down. Her smile grew wider.

"Hi." She whispered to me. Then, taking one of my hands in her own small one, she gave me a piece of paper. I looked down, surprised. She still didn't let go of my hand. I realized that the paper was actually a flier. On it was a crudely drawn picture of a circus tent and the words '_**Come to the Dark Woods Circus! It's fun." **_

I scanned the flier quickly, and then looked back to the girl. Her smile had slipped off as I read, but as soon as I looked up again, it was back and even sweeter than before.

"You should come." She told me. Her voice was soft and melodic, almost hypnotic. "It will be a lot of fun." For a brief second, I thought I saw her eyes flashing a deep and glowing blood red, and her smile twist cruelly upwards until it resembled something deformed and grotesque. But then it was gone, and her eyes were once again a soft caramel color and her smile sweet enough to match. I chalked it all up to my imagination. Then she added "Please?"

I sighed quietly to myself, trying to decide what to do. It was probably just a bunch of little kids putting on a show if the poster was anything to go by. It kind of reminded me of the little shows that Annie, Steve, and I used to put on for my parents when we were younger. I smiled at the memory. I turned away from the little girl to glance back the way I came from. I wasn't expected back to the _Cirque _for a little while yet, and after all, how long could a kids' circus take? I had made my decision. When I turned back, though, she wasn't there anymore.

"Eh? Where did you…?" I began, spinning and searching for her, surprised that she had been able to slip away without being noticed or heard by me.

"Are you going to come?" sang a quiet voice. I twirled around and saw her standing by an enormous tree. "It's this way." She beckoned, eyes twinkling. I followed her into the trees, making sure to remember landmarks so that it would be easier to find my way back.

As we descended into the woods, it seemed to get darker, the trees thicker and older. It was…frightening. Quickly, I shook the thought from my head. The little girl was up ahead of me, running now. I quickened my steps to keep up, and the thought suddenly came to me that everything looked the same! Even the smells were similar enough that I wouldn't be able to use them to find my way back to the _Cirque. _I shivered when I realized that the kid who was running before me would be the only way back, and little kids weren't always reliable with directions….

Suddenly, something changed. It wasn't a big enough change for the average human to notice, but with my vampire senses I could sense it. It was nothing more than a shift in the temperature; a new scent on the air. It was one of food and many people, and underneath of that, just barely noticeable, of misery, shock, and blood. I had to repress a shudder. _What is going on here? _

Suddenly, my feet crunched on something. I looked down, and was surprised to see a gravel road. It was new and crudely made, obviously laid down in a hurry quite recently, and yet already worn and trampled by many feet. When I looked back up from the curious sight, the little girl was standing before me.

"The circus is just up this path." She told me. There was something different about her though.

"Were those there before?" I questioned her, motioning to the many tiny and intricate flower tattoos that laced across the left side of her face. Her eyes widened, and for a brief second, I thought I saw a strange flash of pain and horror enter them as if she were remembering something best left forgotten. But then it was gone and she was just laughing and assuring me that they were. For some reason, I believed her.

"By the way, what's your name?" I asked her curiously.

"Meiko." She told me shortly. "And what's yours?"

"Darren."

"Darren…such a strange name." Meiko murmured seemingly to herself. Then she turned and pranced down the path, her pink dress bouncing gaily. I followed after her even though she hadn't asked me to this time, letting my curiosity get the better of me.

At the end of the path, in the strange and seemingly unnatural darkness of the forest, I found (to my complete and utter shock!) an enormous orange and white striped circus tent.

"It was…a real circus?" I muttered to myself as I stared with wide eyes at the spectacle before me. Quickly, I shook myself out of my current state. "Snap out of it, Darren." I told myself with a little laugh. "You work in a traveling Freak show. Why are you so surprised by something like this?"

"A freak show?" questioned a quiet voice from…above me?

I looked up, honestly expecting Mr. Tall to be there. Instead, I was greeted by the sight of two people. Two very, very, _very _tall people. They were, unbelievably, even taller than Mr. Tall! Both were women (how I had mistaken their voices for the director of the _Cirque's, _I will probably never know), one was wearing a long old fashioned dress, and the other was in pinstriped pants. Both sported one ponytail, the one in a dress had a golden one and the panted one a silvery one. The silver haired girl smiled down at me, while the blond just had a blank and almost sad expression.

"You work at a freak show, Darren?" the silver haired girl asked me. Silently, I nodded, unsure of how I should respond. It had never been my job to tell others about the _Cirque, _and I was never told what to do if asked about it. Something told me to just keep my mouth shut, so that's what I did. The girl's smile widened a little bit, growing somehow sad as it did so. "You would fit in quite nicely here." She said, her voice quiet enough that I almost missed her words from my position so far below her. I pretended like I hadn't heard them.

"How do you know my name?" I called up to her. I wondered vaguely if these two girls were freaks, or if they were merely on stilts.

"Meiko told us just a moment ago." She said. "Oh! We forgot to introduce ourselves, how rude of us." She gasped, then quickly introduced both herself and the other girl. "I'm Haku, and this is Neru."

"Oh, hello. I'm Darren…but you already knew that I guess. Are you…foreign?" I asked hesitantly.

Haku laughed quietly, and even Neru cracked a smile, although it seemed bitter. "You could say that." The blonde murmured, her voice sounding almost like a melodic growl. How strange….

"Would you like to go into the circus, Darren?" Haku asked me.

I nodded hesitantly, suddenly unsure of myself. _This isn't turning out how I thought it would. _

"Then head right in." Neru said. "But the show doesn't start for a short while yet."

"Please enjoy yourself." Haku told me with a sweeping bow and gesture towards the entrance flap of the tent.

"Thank you." I said quickly before heading in. As the flap closed behind me, I thought for a second that I heard the sounds of soft sobs. I shivered. _I have to find Meiko and ask her to take me back to the Cirque._

With that thought in mind, I began to search for wherever she might be. The tent was deserted, and I remembered Neru saying that the show didn't start until later. Moving quickly, I looked around until I found a small opening just large enough to squeeze through at the back of the main ring. I entered into it and found myself in a large room that was cluttered with many different props and miscellaneous objects. I looked around, surprised at the size and the dimness of it. It reeked of misery and fear. I didn't like this, not one bit, but my curiosity was aroused now. Slowly, and being as quiet as I could possibly manage, I crept towards the nearest sound. It was…singing.

I moved forward until a large cage came into sight. I cocked my head and drew closer. _What in the world? _At first I thought that maybe it was for some form of dangerous animal (Wolfman) but when I got closer I realized that the scent wasn't that of an animal.

It was a girl.

She was singing, but through the beautiful voice and haunting words was the unmistakable noise of crying. Something was wrong. Every one of my instincts were screaming at me to run. _Run. RUN! _And yet my mind was telling me not to move, and that I needed to help this girl. At the noise of someone approaching, I did the only thing I could; hide.

A new figure came to stand by the singing girl in her cage. It was Meiko! Without a word or invitation, the little girl joined into the caged girl's song.

_Deep into the forest, far, far in the back that way. There is a circus. _

The words seemed innocent enough, and yet the tone that the two singers took was terrible; heartbreaking and hateful, mysterious and blunt. I could see everything from my hiding spot, and I was truly noticing it for the first time. In the center of the room was a young man. I shifted slightly to get a clearer view of him. Something was strange about him…his position was odd, and his smell was that of raw meat and blood. I realized that the man was in a straightjacket, and he was lying helplessly in the middle of the floor. He was on his back, obviously struggling to change his position and crying out loud and unintelligible words. He was feral in his movements; thrashing and fighting wildly against his restraints. It was obvious that he had been at it for a while. As his cries continued, going from angry and insane to simply pleading and sorrowful, I was sickeningly glad that I didn't know what he was saying.

As his wild movements slowed, I saw that the man had shockingly _blue _hair, and that his skin was so pale that it had taken on a slightly blue tint. He was skinny and obviously unhealthy, and smelt of death and sickness.

Carefully, I crawled from my hiding spot and moved silently towards another area I could hide at. I wondered if maybe I could somehow free the blue man from his restraints. From my next spot, I was actually closer to the small and glinting cage. I had a perfect view of it and its contents. The occupant of the terrible cage was a single beautiful young girl, probably just a few years older than me. She had incredibly long and unbelievably teal hair. It was thinning a little, and was actually caught on the bars, spreading from her head like tiny spider web strands. She was emaciated and pale, dressed in a dress that looked as if it had once been beautiful but was now just a sad relic of its own past. It hung off her thin frame in a sickening way. She was sitting on the floor of her cage, leaning against the bars weakly. Across her eyes was a strange black blindfold.

"I'm sorry, Miku." Meiko whispered pathetically, leaning against the bars. A small, sad smile was engraved on her lips even as tears slipped from her eyes and across those strange flowered tattoos.

"_The chairman with the big eyes" _Meiko sang in a choked and quiet voice as she used the bars of the teal haired girl's cage for support.

"So he can always watch us." The girl whispered, her eyes trained on the small girl outside her cage.

_"and ten meters tall." _

"So he can always see everything that is going on at all times."

_"All of the cast is jolly."_

_ "Their forms are rather strange." _Sang a new voice. I turned towards the source of the voice and got a shock. A new person had entered into the room. Or perhaps…two new people.

It was someone with two heads. One head –the one singing- was male, and the other –who was just smiling- was female. Both heads had the same unnaturally yellow hair and blue eyes. It was obvious they were related (probably twins) and at first it could be assumed that they were simply Siamese twins. However, they were wearing a frilly shirt that exposed their necks and shoulders and I could clearly see the thick, black stitches and scars that covered them. I had to stifle an uttered cry at the sight of them. I had seen the other freaks at the _Cirque, _but this was…this was terrible. Whatever had happened to make the two headed person like that had been violent; evidently excruciatingly painful. It was crudely done, and it was sickening to see.

"Len?" the blindfolded girl sobbed out, leaning further against the bars of her cage.

"I'm here." The boy's head replied as the two headed person moved closer to her cage.

_"Their forms are rather strange, but it's so fun! The Dark Woods Circus!" _sang the female head joyously. Her smile was wide and vacant, the kind that I used to imagine belonging in a mental institution. The blindfolded girl let out another heart wrenching sob at the girl's words. The boy's head glanced over at his sister, a loving and gentle, yet sad and pitying look.

"Don't cry, Miku." He murmured, looking away from his sister and back to the girl in the cage.

"I'm sorry, Len. I just…can't seem to help myself. It…it is hurting tonight. So, so bad." Miku hiccupped miserably.

_"One with two heads." _The two siblings sang in synch, clasping their hands in front of their body and both smiling. One's smile was eerily wide; her eyes frighteningly blank, while the other's was sad and full of self loathing. It slipped off his face as soon as it had flickered on, leaving only the sadness and self hatred behind instead of the illusion of joy and excitement that most circuses demanded of their actors.

"_A deformed diva." _Whispered Miku in a choked but melodic voice. Very slowly, she raised herself to a standing position as the noises of the crowds began to filter into the room. Her legs were those of some sort of animal. They looked like they could belong to a horse or a goat. It was a disturbing thing to see. The girl was obviously in pain, wincing and gasping, and crying out a little as she struggled to stay standing. Her inverted knees threatened to buckle beneath her, and yet somehow she managed to stay upright.

_"A blue beast that loves to eat things cold." _Sang out the man's voice from the center of the room. His voice was hoarse from all of his screams, and maybe from something else as well. Then a harsh and hateful laugh escaped his throat as a trickle of saliva fell from his lips. An empty grin crossed his face as the sudden metallic smell of fresh blood and sickly sweet scent of dead flesh filled the air and assaulted my senses, reminding me that I hadn't fed in a while.

_"Does anyone wish that I were alive?" _questioned Miku, her expressions still covered by that blindfold. With that question, her legs gave out and she collapsed to the cage floor again. "_So repulsive I am in this body." _She went on as her breaths came shorter and faster, as if she were in immense pain.

From beside the cage, almost forgotten, Meiko let out a long wail.

"Len…please?" Miku whispered, her hands reaching out, searching blindly for something. Silently, Len and his sister moved closer to the cage and reached through the bars to remove the blindfold. Miku stilled, and as the eye cover was removed, tears spilled out from beneath it. Her large eyes squinted against the sudden light, but she looked grateful to have her sight back, all the same. "Len…." She whispered again. She tried to reach out to him, but her trembling limbs didn't allow her to do so.

_"Why do you look at me like that?" _she cried, new tears spilling down her face. Len just stared at her, an unreadable expression on his face. His sister's own face was blank, almost uncaring. Meiko did her best to suppress a sob. As Miku turned away from them, and I got an unhindered view of her face, I gasped. Her entire face was covered with those tiny flower designs. For some reason, with her blindfold on, I just had never noticed. "_This face that is rotting." _

_Rotting? What does she mean? _I wondered as I stared at those beautiful flowers.

_"It's painful." _Len whispered. For the first time, I noticed that the beginnings of the flowers were appearing on his face as well. _"It's painful, and it can't be helped." _From within her prison, Miku hid her face in her hands, as if that would block out the world and his words. Seeing the girl's distress, Len reached through the bars and gently, sweetly, took a strand of her teal hair into his hand. He pulled it through to the outside, and pressed it to his lips. His eyes closed momentarily, more flowers appearing on his face. The female head watched this exchange with a child like curiosity, her face screwing up a little as if she didn't understand exactly what was happening, and was trying her hardest to figure it out.

"_She said it." _Len whispered against the strand. _"But still we continue this circus." _

_**FOREVER**_

Suddenly, the two headed person's body was forced backwards, as if each side was momentarily fighting for control. Reluctantly, Len let the fine teal strands slip through his fingers as his other half dragged their body out towards a large and bulging canvas in a cleared area of the room. "Let's practice our act, Len!" the female head said excitedly.

"Of course. That's a great idea, Rin." Her brother said quietly. Rin cheered, and the two began a dance.

_"It's fun!" _Rin sang happily, pulling a rope that released the canvas. Hundreds of multi colored balloons burst forth. I watched them, tracing my eyes upwards to follow the dizzying array of colors. Among them and hidden within them was a figure…I just couldn't quite make out what it was…. I was snapped back to reality by Rin's voice. A strange scent was filling the air. _"So fun!" _she continued her song, the two dancing merrily as one. The girl had stretched the arm on her side of their body upwards, as if trying to grasp at the many balloons that spun just out of her reach. Len raised his arm as well. Rin's face was alight with joy and excitement, while Len's was stretched into a warped form of her smile, never reaching to his eyes like hers. _"This circus is so fun!" _she sang. Then, her words took a turn towards the darkness. Yet she kept that same joyous tone, making the words even eerier. _"Rotten fruit, to dissolve my eyes. My skin festers, reflected on my eyes." _

Flowers were falling now, and I heard a strangled cry from above me. I looked up, afraid of what I would find. When I saw it, I had to hold my hand over my mouth to stop myself from screaming. High, high above us, dangling from a rope, was a body. It was that of a little kid, making it seem all the worse. Flowers coated its face and body. I realized _that _was where the strange scent was coming from. But it wasn't the smell of flowers; it was the scent of something long dead and rotting. Tears were streaming from my eyes, and tiny stifled sobs were escaping my throat. I couldn't take it anymore! I had to go, I had to run! NOW!

I bolted from my hiding place, stumbling and falling and crying out. The others in the room stared at me in silence, eyes huge and pain filled. Everything here had gone silent and still, even while just beyond us in the main tent I could hear the guests from them.

The silence was shattered by Rin. "Oh look!" she cried out happily, her empty eyes lighting up happily. "We're going to have someone new join the circus."

Meiko stared at me, her brown eyes enormous. "I'm sorry." She whispered, sounding horrified. "I'm so, so sorry." Her brown eyes filled with tears. But then she was laughing, those same tear-filled eyes now glowing red. It was disturbing to hear a sound like that coming from a little girl.

Suddenly, over the laughter, I heard another voice.

"Please, please Darren. Please listen." Miku begged, her tear filled eyes widening and growing desperate, a wild light filling them. I stared at her, mesmerized. In the background, Meiko's laughter continued.

_"I want to die." _Miku sang.

_"I want to die!" _Len and the blue haired man joined in.

_**"WANT TO DIE!" **_

_ "Get me out of here please!" _they begged. The blue haired man was fighting against his straight jacket again, crying out and begging with the other two.

"_It's impossible for anyone to say and feel" _Miku finished, grasping at the bars of her cage and trying her hardest to stand again. She stared at me with enormous, hopeless eyes. I was so tempted to go to her, to set her free. To save her and the Len and Rin, to help the blue haired man escape, and to free Meiko from whatever bonds held her. The tiny girl was still laughing, her voice adding a strange beauty to the others' terrible and hopeless pleas for death.

I stepped forward, my hand extended.

Then I felt it, that terrible looming figure that stood directly behind me. I turned slowly to face it, my eyes widening at the terrible sight of it. I saw it, reaching for me; ready to swoop down and capture me.

I turned and ran, trying to escape those terrible screams and pleas for death behind me. Meiko's laughter still echoed in my mind.

Darren had arrived back at the _Cirque _much later that night. He was shaken and crying, despite his best efforts not to. When Mr. Tall and Mr. Crepsley took him aside to try to get him to tell them what had happened, he finally revealed to them the whole story. He begged them to find the Dark Woods Circus and to help those inside of it. When they had gone to search for it, though, the only remnants of the terrible freak show was a gravel path, a few strands of oddly colored hair, and many, many horrific flowers.

For the rest of his existence, Darren could never forget the horrors of The Dark Woods Circus; of the Other Freak Show.

**Well, I really hope that you liked it! I know it isn't my best work, but the idea just came to me and simply wouldn't leave me alone! Please tell me what you think, alright? And also, please don't be upset with me for not having Darren know Kaito's name. I was rather sad about that myself! Kaito holds a special place in my heart for this song because I myself have spent time in a straight jacket. (and in case you're wondering, I am completely serious.) Anyways, this was my first ever attempt at a sorta-songfic. Make sure to review and tell me whether or not I did an ok job! Thanks a ton. : )**

**~FIB~**


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